© 2010. tea responding educationally to all learners family- school partnerships: key to the...

Responding Educationally to All Learners

Family- School Partnerships:Key to the Success of Racially

and Ethnically Diverse Students

Module Objectives

• To define the terms parent, family, involvement and partnership

• To examine the contexts that influence interactions between schools and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families

• To understand the positive outcomes correlated with successful family-school partnerships

Module Objectives

• To identify components of effective district, campus and classroom practices

• To identify strategies for engaging families from diverse cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds

• To begin to design action plans for achieving successful family-school partnerships

We Are Family

• In the school context, the term parent or family member refers to anyone who has responsibility for the care and upbringing of children.

• Take a few minutes to think about all the people who would be included in your current family.

• Develop a list, draw a diagram or web or choose another way to represent those who fulfill family roles.

Vandergrift & Green 1992

The Status of Families

U.S. Family Composition• In 2006, 38% of all births were to unmarried women. 92% of births to mothers aged 15-17 were to unmarried girls.

• In 2004, 49% of children under age 6 in low-income families lived in a home headed by a single parent.

(National Center for Children in Poverty, 2008; Forum on Child and Family Statistics, n.d.)

The percentage of children under age 18 living with two married parents fell from 77% in 1980 to 68% in 2007.

• 23% of children lived with only their mothers• 3% lived with only their father• 3% lived with two unmarried parents• 4% lived with neither of their parents

(National Center for Children in Poverty, 2008; Forum on Child and Family Statistics, n.d.)

Persons in Family or Household

48 Contiguous States and D.C.

1 $10,4002 $14,0003 $17,6004 $21,2005 $24,8006 $28,4007 $32,0008 $35,600

> 8 persons Add $3,600 for each

additional person Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008 Poverty Guidelines.

2008 Poverty Guidelines

Children in the United States, by Income Level, 2007FPL: Federal Poverty Level

National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 2009

Children in Texas, by Income Level, 2007

National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 2009

Points to Ponder

• Parent interest and support is correlated with children’s educational success or failure.

• In particular, the academic achievement of low-income students seems to vary directly with the degree of parent involvement.

(Berger, 1995; Dauber & Epstein, 1993; Henderson, 1988)

Points to Ponder

Studies show that school practices that encourage parent participation are more important than family characteristics like parental education, family size, marital status, socioeconomic level or student grade level in determining whether families become involved.

(Berger, 1995; Dauber & Epstein, 1993; Henderson, 1988)

Relationships

Student

FamilySchool

Community

Society

Classroom

Adapted from Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding & Walberg, 2005; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez & Chatman, 2005; Garcia, Wilkinson & Ortiz, 1995

Contests Which Influence Family/

School/Community/Partnerships

Student Context

• Physical and Developmental Characteristics

• Emotional/Behavioral Characteristics

• Cultural, Linguistic and SocioeconomicCharacteristics

• Experiential Background

• Academic Characteristics

(Adapted from Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding & Walberg, 2005; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez & Chatman, 2005; Garcia, Wilkinson & Ortiz, 1995)

Classroom Context

• Expectations for Student Performance• Assessment/Progress Monitoring• Instruction• Curriculum/Materials• Language(s) and Dialect(s)• Behavioral Supports

Classroom Context

• Expectations and Perceptions about Families

• Teacher Attitude and Experience

• Physical Environment

• Safety

Family Context

• Race/Ethnicity

• Immigration Status

• Language

• Income

• Family Composition

• Roles of Family Members

• Role Models

Family Context

• Level of Acculturation

• Lifestyles/Traditions

• Religion

• Educational Background

• Family Structure

• Child Rearing Practices

• Current Situation

• Health Status of Family Members

• Political Views/Trends

• Safety

• Support Systems

• Expectations and Perceptions of Schools and Teachers

• Leadership• Mobility• Cultural/Linguistic

Incorporation• Collaboration• Policies• Climate• Safety• Physical Environment

• District Context and Policies

• Expertise of Educators• Roles Available to

Families• Educator Role

Definitions• Support Systems for

Students/Educators/ Families

School Context

• Rural/Urban• Racial/Ethnic

Composition• Socioeconomic

Characteristics• Local History• Safety

• Employment• Housing• Transportation• Health Care• Power Structures• Peers (family, student)

Community Context

• Politics

• Importance of Family Status

• Religious Characteristics

• Community Organizations

• Cultural/Linguistic Characteristics

Adapted from Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding & Walberg, 2005; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez & Chatman, 2005; Garcia, Wilkinson & Ortiz, 1995)

Societal Context

• Racial/Ethnic Composition

• Power Structures

• Dominant Beliefs

• Linguistic and Cultural Values

• Attitudes and Ideologies

• History

• Educational Policy and Practices

• (Adapted from Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding & Walberg, 2005; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez & Chatman, 2005; Garcia, Wilkinson & Ortiz, 1995)

Remember …

Partnerships do not occur within a vacuum. Given the diversity between and among contexts, every successful partnership will be unique.

Outcomes Associated withFamily-School Partnerships

Student

Classroom

Outcomes Associated with

Family-School Partnerships

Family

Outcomes Associated with Family-School Partnerships

Outcomes Associated With Family-School Partnerships

• School

Outcomes Associated With Family-School Partnerships

• Community

What Are The Steps?

1. Form a team for change involving educators, family members, community leaders, other stakeholders, cultural brokers, etc.

2. Establish a philosophy that values all students and family involvement.

■ Accept families as they are and work with their strengths

■ Regard families and communities as offering valuable human and social capital

■ Examine current mission statement33

(Adapted from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 2005A; 2005B; King & Goodwin, 2002; Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 2000; Robledo Montecel et al., 1993)

What Are The Steps?

3. Assess educators’ readiness for partnering with families.

■ Pre-service and in-service experiences■ Cultural self-awareness and attitudes toward

diversity■ Awareness of families’ cultural and linguistic

backgrounds, values and attitudes■ Available supports and resources

4. Determine family and educator priorities for partnerships.

What Are The Steps?

5. Describe significant features of the contexts which influence family school interactions.

■ Students■ Families■ Classrooms■ School(s)■ Community(ies) ■ Society

(Adapted from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 2005A; 2005B; King & Goodwin, 2002; Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 2000; Robledo Montecel et al., 1993)

What Are The Steps?

6. Examine current linkages and opportunities for ...■ Involvement■ Partnerships■ Roles family members typically play

7. Construct an action plan, including indicators for success.

■ Develop and distribute revised mission statement■ Enable “buying into” the new philosophy■ Implement the plan■ Evaluate and revise as needed

Analyzing Involvement of CLD Parents

Part I: • Divide into groups of 4 to 6. • Within your group, appoint a recorder and a

reporter.• Brainstorm, without discussing the particulars, the

ways that CLD parents are involved in their children’s education in the school(s) with which you work.

Part II:• Using the handout provided, classify each item on

your list by type of involvement.

• If an example does not fit in any of the categories given, create a new category.

Part III: • Begin at your assigned station (i.e., role

category) and record your examples on the chart paper on the wall. When you finish, move to the next station.

• Review items that have been recorded by previous groups for that role category. Place a checkmark by those items that appear on your list and then add any new items to the list.

• Rotate through the stations until you have recorded all of your group’s examples.

Working-class and/or minority parents, if included in school activities, have tended to serve in the traditional role of volunteer, for example, as fundraiser or chaperone, etc.

(Peña, 2000)

Parental Non-Involvement

Some parents choose not to be involved because they:

• Believe that educating students is the sole responsibility of the school and that they help most by not interfering with the duties of professionals.

• Feel they can’t help their children because of their educational level and/or lack of English proficiency.

Parental Non-Involvement

• Do not feel welcome and/or are intimidated by school staff and the structure of schools.• Have had negative experiences with schools and continue to feel anger, fear and mistrust.

• Are not provided opportunities for involvement. (Peña, 2000; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler & Brissie, 1987)

Barriers to Involvement

Access• Transportation, safety and childcare issues

• Conflicts with parents’ work hours (Bauch, 1993; Moles, 1993)

Language • Use of educational jargon

• Lack of bilingual teachers and staff

• Failure to provide interpreters at meetings, leading

to decreased attendance at future meetings (Peña, 2000; Chavkin & Gonzalez, 1995; Moles, 1993; Rich, 1987)

OrganizationalParent involvement efforts are not well organized:

• Lack of policies addressing parent involvement• Limited training for teachers• Failure to allocate time for teachers to engage

parents(Peña, 2000; Epstein, 1992; Chavkin, 1989)

• Differences in teacher and parent attitudes toward involvement decreases teacher support of parent involvement programs

(Epstein & Dauber, 1991)

Organizational• Schools pay only lip service to meaningful

family-school partnerships• Participation in decision making is largely

symbolic or “window-dressing”(Liontos, 1992; Perry & Tannenbaum, 1992; Henderson, 1988; National Institute of Education, 1985)

• Professionals strive to maintain control of program decisions

(Wong, 1994)

Deficit Perspectives

• Deficit orientation focuses on the attributes of others, usually from the perspective of qualities they lack

• Educators often view parents and their surrounding communities as needing to change and as having little to offer

(Taylor and Whitaker, 2003; Cotton & Wikelund, 1989).

• Parents whose behaviors do not conform to the culture of schools and of the larger society need training or education to “fix” them

(Garcia & Guerra, 2004)

• Divide into groups of 4 to 6. Within your group, appoint a recorder and a reporter.• Review the four vignettes.• Complete the first column of the handout, identifying the perceptions held by the teachers in the four vignettes. • Once finished, complete the second column, identifying factors that contribute to these perceptions.• Share your results with the larger group.

What’s the message?

“It is important for school people and parents to be aware that parent involvement supports student learning, behavior and attitudes regardless of factors such as parents’ income, education level, and whether or not parents are employed. That is, the involvement of parents who are well-educated, well-todo [sic], or have larger amounts of time to be involved has not been shown to be more beneficial than the involvement of less-advantaged parents. All parent involvement works and works well.”

(Cotton & Wikelund, 1989, pp. 4-5).

A preventive, solution-oriented focus in which the partners strive to create conditions that facilitate student success.

(Christenson & Sheridan, 2001)

• A collaborative relationship characterized by• Respect for each others’ opinions and contributions• Equal status of each partner within the relationship• A developing trust• Generally positive regard for each other

(Lynch & Hansen, 1998)

Features of Partnerships

• Think about the family-school partnerships in the school(s) where you work.• Indicate to what degree these partnerships reflect the guiding principles given on the checklist.• As you complete the checklist, think of other principles that should be added to this list and record them.

Guiding Principles Checklist

Guiding Principles

• Family is the constant

• Welcome parents

• Teacher planning time

• Offer options for participation

• Provide resources

• Incorporate developmental needs of all children

(Garcia & Guerra, 2004)

Guiding Principles

• Encourage community partnerships

• Consider parent training programs

• Consider educator attitudes, communication skills and cultural competence

(Christenson, Godber & Anderson, 2005; Peña, 2000; Davies, 1991; Cotton & Wikelund, 1989)

Facilitating Communication

Case Study

• Divide into groups of 4 to 6.

• Within your group, appoint a recorder and a reporter.

• Read the case provided and discuss all the questions.

• Complete the Case Study Worksheet.

• Be ready to debrief with the whole group.

Case Study Questions

• Who are the stakeholders?

• What factors seem to be influencing each stakeholder’s actions?

• What barriers are present?

• What communications have occurred between stakeholders? How effective have they been? How could they have been made more effective?

• What seem to be the stakeholders’ beliefs about involvement? Are they congruent?

• Brainstorm strategies that might be used to address the barriers and strengthen the partnerships.

Strategies

Access• Provide daycare and transportation.

• Hold meetings and events in churches, neighborhood centers, etc.

• If a meeting or event presents essential information, find ways to get the information to those who can’t be there (repeat if necessary).

• Schedule meetings convenient to families.

Strategies

• Identify ways to help families access technology.> Internet > Local media Make DVDs/videos of meetings and programs

Strategies

Language • Recruit bilingual administrators, teachers and classified

staff that represent the various language groups included in the family population.

• Recruit cultural brokers.

• Ensure that all school staff knows how and when to access the services of trained interpreters/translators.

• Provide staff members with professional development and opportunities to practice communicating with families without using educational jargon.

Strategies

Organizational • Create a Family Center.

• Establish a Home Visitor Program.

• Utilize Action Research Teams.

• Infuse the topic of family partnerships into all school improvement efforts.

Strategies

Organizational

Link social service, health and other community agencies

and groups. Service coordination should include a case

management system in which each student is assigned to

a trained service provider responsible for supervising:

Strategies

Organizational

> Identification of the student’s needs > A service delivery plan > Delivery of services> Follow-up to ensure that the student receives the

appropriate services and makes expected progress

(U.S. Department of Education, 1994)

Strategies

Deficit Perspectives • Conduct ongoing staff developments that address

partnering with diverse families.

• Ensure that ALL school personnel, including cafeteria, janitorial and office staff, have access to information concerning partnerships and diversity.

• Conduct workshops that bring parents and educators together and enhance sharing information about students.

Funds of Knowledge

• Funds of knowledge are “historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual functioning and well being.”

(Moll, Amanti, Neff & Gonzalez, 2005 )

Funds of Knowledge

Assumptions:• All individuals and households have funds of

knowledge.

• Working-class or poor families and communities can be viewed primarily in terms of these strengths and resources.

• The educational process can be enhanced when teachers learn about their students’ everyday lives.

(Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005)

Accessing Funds of Knowledge

• Teachers can identify funds of knowledge through interviews.

• Teachers also can identify funds of knowledge as they teach.

• Teachers can identify funds of knowledge through interviews.

• Teachers also can identify funds of knowledge as they teach.

Duplicate Slide

For Training Notes

Purposes Only

• Teachers also can identify funds of knowledge as they teach by ...

> Having students interview parents at home about their interests and talents

> Using casual conversations with parents at school or on field trips to ask about projects or activities

Hensley, 2005

> Having parents interview each other about special interests at meetings or open house and reporting back

> Noticing what help students have received on projects done at home

> Arranging field trips to the places parents workHensley, 2005

Outcomes

• Understanding the funds of knowledge that families/communities have may> Assist teachers in using students’ background

knowledge as they teach> Allow teachers to see student and family strengths

rather than deficits > Enhance family partnerships

Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005

Classroom Practice

One Teacher’s Experience

Starting a Funds of Knowledge Project

• Teacher participation should be voluntary.• All participants should do some reading about funds of

knowledge, ethnographic research and interviewing techniques.

• Parent participation should be voluntary.• Teachers must be willing to enter homes as learners

who are willing to interact and document what they learn and experience.

• Study groups are useful — even essential — as places for discussion and reflection and for the application of ideas to teaching.

(Gonzalez, Moll, Tenery, Rivera, Rendon, Gonzales & Amanti, 2005)

On Helping Others …

• Don’t put the other fellow in your shoes — wear his.

• “Tis true, ‘if I were you,’ I could use the logic that you espouse to solve my problem. But, since I am me, we must find a solution that fits well into the scheme of my mold. We must cloak the solutions of my problems in garments wrinkled by my needs and desires, otherwise, what you are saying to me is not, ‘if I were you,’ but ‘if you were me;’ and since I am not, your answers help me little.”

(Poyadue, 1983)

Are We Family?

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